The Hijrah
الهجرة Summary 1) The harassment and rejection of the message of the Prophet sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam by Quraysh. 2) The disbelievers conspiracy to kill the Prophet s''allallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam''. 3) His secret emigration with Abu Bakr, may Allaah be pleased with him, and Allaahs assistance to both of them. 4) How the people of Madeenah received the Prophet sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam. 5) The enmity of the Jews towards the Prophet s''allallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam''. All praise is due to Allaah, Who sent His Messenger with guidance and the Religion of Truth to make it prevail over all other religions. All thanks are due to Him on account of the bounties He has conferred upon us. I testify that there is nothing worthy of worship except Allaah, with Whom there is no associate. He guides to the truth whomever He wills out of his Grace and misguides from the truth whomever He wills out of his Wisdom and Justice. I testify that Muhammad is His servant and Messenger, the chosen one from all mankind. May Allaah bless him, his family, his companions and all those who will follow his path. Thirteen years after the commencement of the prophetic message, In the month of Rabee’ Al-Awwaal, the Prophet s''allallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam'' reached Madeenah having left from''Makkah'', which was the initial point of revelation and the most beloved of places to him. He left Makkah as an emigrant, in compliance with the command of his Lord, after he had spent thirteen years there calling to the clear guidance of the message of his Lord. During this period he s''allallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam'' and his followers were confronted with rejection, defiance and even physical harm from Quraysh ''(his tribe). Moreover, ''Quraysh even conspired to kill him when their leaders met and exchanged views in order to decide on what course of action to take regarding the Prophet sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam and his followers. They felt endangered by the message of the Prophet s''allallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam'' and when some of his companions emigrated to Madeenah, they knew that he would join them there sooner or later. They knew also about the pledge that the Ansaar (the Madeenan supporters of the Prophet''sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam') had given to the Prophet s''allallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam which stipulated that they would protect him from any kind of harm, just as they protected their own wives and children. Quraysh feared the revenge of the Prophet s''allallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam'' and his followers if they had the opportunity of establishing themselves firmly in Madeenah. Therefore, during the meeting of the elders of Quraysh, Abu Jahl said: “My opinion is that we should select a strong young man from each of our tribes and give each a sword to strike Muhammad all at the same time. On doing so, his blood will spread among all the Arab tribes - and it will be impossible for the Banu ‘Abd Manaaf (the clan to which the Prophet belonged) to revenge his death, rather they will be obliged to take the diyyah (blood-money).” ''“And O Muhammad, when those who disbelieved plotted against you to restrain you or kill you or evict you Makkah. But they plan, and Allaah plans. And Allaah is the best of planners.”'' (Al-Anfaal: 30). Despite this, Allaah revealed the entire conspiracy to the Prophet s''allallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam'' and permitted him to emigrate to Madeenah. Abu Bakr, may Allaah be pleased with him, who had prepared himself for the move to Madeenah, was told several times by the Prophet s''allallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam'' to wait. It was clear that the Prophet s''allallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam''wanted to accompany him in the journey of Hijrah, as he s''allallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam'' said to him: ''“Wait, for I hope that Allaah will allow me also to emigrate”.'' ‘''Aa’ishah'', may Allaah be pleased with her, narrated: “One day, at midday, while we were sitting in our house, someone said to Abu Bakr, may Allaah be pleased with him: ‘Here comes Allaah's Apostle, with his head and part of his face covered with a cloth (i.e. wishing to conceal his identity), at an hour in which he has never come to us’. Abu Bakr, may Allaah be pleased with him, said: ‘Let my father and mother be sacrificed for you (an expression that indicates the level of sacrifice that the person expressing it is prepared to make), (O Prophet)! It must have been an urgent matter that brought you here at this hour.’ The Prophet ''s''allallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam asked permission to enter and then did so, he ''s''allallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam then said to Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him: '"Let those who are here with you leave." Abu Bakr, may Allaah be pleased with him, replied: ‘These people are your family (i.e. there is no need for them to leave because they are your own people); Let my father be sacrificed for you, O Allaah's Apostle!’ The Prophet s''allallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam then said: '"I have been given permission leave (Makkah)." Abu Bakr, may Allaah be pleased with him, asked: ‘Can I accompany you, O Allaah's Apostle? Let my father be sacrificed for you!’ The Prophet s''allallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam replied: '"Yes." Abu Bakr, may Allaah be pleased with him, said: ‘O Allaah's Apostle! Let my father be sacrificed for you! Take one of these two she-camels of mine.’ The Prophet s''allallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam replied: '“I will take it only on the condition that I pay you for it.”''' So we packed their baggage and placed food for their journey into a leather bag. Then the Prophet s''allallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam and Abu Bakr, may Allaah be pleased with him, set off on their journey. After this, they arrived at a mountain named Thawr and remained there for three nights. 'Abdullaah bin Abu Bakr, may Allaah be pleased with him, who was an intelligent young man, would stay with them two at night and leave before dawn so that in the morning, he could be among the Quraysh in Makkah and act as if he had spent the whole night there. If he heard of any plot contrived by the Quraysh against the Prophet ''s''allallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam and Abu Bakr, may Allaah be pleased with him, he would return and inform them two of the plot after dark.” Quraysh exerted the maximum effort to seize the Prophet sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam and his companion, may Allaah be pleased with him. They searched in all directions and could not find them and so they announced a reward of one hundred camels for anybody who could seize either or both of them. However, it was Allaah’s plan to protect them, for some men from the Quraysh reached the very cave where the Prophet sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam and his companion, may Allaah be pleased with him, were hiding - but were unable to spot them. Abu Bakr, may Allaah be pleased with him, said: “I said to the Prophet sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam when we were in the cave: ‘O Messenger of Allaah, if any of them looks down at their feet, they will see us.’ The Prophet sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam replied, assuringly:' "What do you think about two companions, of whom Allaah is the third? (i.e. in terms of assistance)".'' When Quraysh’s pursuit abated, the Prophet sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam and Abu Bakr, ''may Allaah be pleased with him, left the cave after three nights and headed for ''Madeenah''following the coastline. A young man by the name of ''Suraaqah bin Malik, ''may Allah be pleased with him, who had not yet at that time embraced Islaam caught sight of them on his horse. When ''Abu Bakr, may Allaah be pleased with him, turned back and saw him, he said: “Messenger of Allaah, someone is following us.” The Prophet sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam replied:“Don’t be anxious; for Allaah is with us.” 'When ''Suraaqah came closer to them and heard the Prophet’s recitation of the Qur’aan, the forelegs of his horse sank into the hard ground, so much so that the horse’s stomach touched the ground. Suraaqah dismounted and spurred the horse until it stood up, but its forelegs were struggling, causing dust to rise up into the sky like smoke. Recalling this at a later date, Suraaqah said: “''I felt then that the Prophet’s affair will come to prominence some day, (i.e. I knew that the day would come when his message would be accepted by the masses) so I cried out at them giving them a pledge of security.'' The Messenger of Allaah sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam was standing ahead of me with his companion. I mounted my horse and rode until I reached them and told them about the plots contrived against them. I offered them food and luggage and said to the Prophet sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam: ‘You will pass by some flocks of sheep and camels that belong to me; you may take what you need from them.’ The Prophet replied: '“I have no need of this, just conceal your knowledge of us.”'' '' '' Suraaqah ''headed back to where he had set out from and diverted all those he came across away from the direction that the Prophet ''sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam and his companion, may Allaah be pleased with him, were heading towards. It seems so strange that Suraaqah, ''who first sought after the Prophet ''sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam and his companion, may Allaah be pleased with him, to seize them ended up giving them his full support. This is the support Allaah gives to those who serve His cause. When news of the Prophet’s Hijrah reached the people of Madeenah from among the Muhaajireen (those Muslims who emigrated from Makkah) and ''Ansaar ''(the Madeenan supporters of the Prophet ''sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam'), they would go out to ''Al-Harrah, ''which is a place on the outskirts of ''Madeenah, in anticipation of the Prophet’s arrival, until they would be forced back by the heat of the sun. When the day of arrival of the Prophet sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam ''finally came, a Jew who was looking for something on a hillock in ''Madeenah saw him approaching. Despite his enmity, he could not help but cry out: “O Arabs! This is your long-awaited fortune and honour”. The Muslims hastened to meet the Messenger of Allaah sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam with their weapons, as an honorary reception as well as an indication of their readiness for Jihaad in the cause of Allaah and to defend him. They met him at a place in Al-Harrah and he sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam diverted his course rightward and settled in the Banu ‘Amr bin ‘Awf in Qooba’ (a place on the outskirts of Madeenah) where he stayed for some nights and built a mosque. He then went on to Madeenah accompanied by many people, while many others lined the roadside. Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him, related: “When we came to Madinah, people went out onto the roads and onto the tops of houses, along with their children and servants, crying: “Allaahu Akbar! The Messenger of Allaah has come! Allaahu Akbar! Muhammad has come!” Anas bin Maalik, may Allaah be pleased with him, narrated: “I was walking among small boys, since I was one of them, while people were crying out: ‘Muhammad has come! Muhammad has come!’ So the people repeated these words out of joy due to the Prophet’s arrival, who was the dearest to them. What an arrival! It filled the hearts with joy, pleasure and delight and illuminated the horizons with happiness.” When the Prophet sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam reached Madeenah, the various tribes of Al-''Ansaar'' rivalled each other in leading the Prophet’s she-camel to their dwellings, each saying: ‘''Come, O Messenger of Allaah! Stay with us! We are great in number, fully armed and ready to defend you’'' The Prophet sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam replied, regarding his she-camel:“Let it go where it wishes, for it is inspired. I will stay where Allaah wished me to stay.” The she-camel stood in the place where he sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam later built his mosque, it knelt down and remained there for sometime, while the Prophet sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam remained on its back. After this, the she-camel got up again and the Prophet sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam loosened its bridle, it walked for a short distance and then returned to the previous location and knelt down. Upon this the Prophet sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam said:“Here is the settling place, Allaah willing”. The place where the she-camel knelt belonged to two orphans, who offered to give it to the Prophet sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam for free, but he sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam refused and instead he purchased it from them. Then Allaah's Prophet sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam asked: "Whose is the nearest of the houses to here?" A man called Abu Ayyoob, may Allaah be pleased with him, replied: ‘''Mine, O Allaah's Prophet! This is my house and this is my gate.’'' The Prophet sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam then said: "Go and prepare a place for our ''midday'' rest." Abu Ayyub, may Allaah be pleased with him, prepared it, then returned and said: ‘''Come along, both of you, with the blessings of Allaah.’'' When Allaah's Prophet sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam went into the house, a man by the name of Abdullaah ibn Salaam, may Allaah be pleased with him, came and said: “''I testify that you (i.e. Muhammad) are Apostle of Allaah and that you have come with the truth. The Jews know very well that I am their chief and the son of their former chief and the most learned amongst them and the son of the former most learned amongst them. So send for them (i.e. the Jews) and ask them about me before they know that I have embraced Islaam, for if they know that then they will say about me things which are not correct." So Allaah's Apostle sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam sent for them and they came and entered. Allaah's Apostle''sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam'' said to them: ''“O Jews! Woe to you! Fear Allaah! I swear by Allaah besides Whom none has the right to be worshipped that you people know for certain that I am the Apostle of Allaah and that I have come to you with the truth, so embrace Islaam."'' The Jews replied: “''We do not know this.”'' So he sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam repeated this twice and they repeated their answer twice. Then he sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam asked them: ''"What sort of a standing does 'Abdullaah ibn Salaam have amongst you?"'' They said:"He is our chief, the son of our former chief and the most learned man, the son of the former most learned man amongst us." He sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam said: ''"What would you think if he should embrace Islaam?"'' They replied: "Allaah forbid! He cannot embrace Islaam." ''He ''sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam repeated the question and they repeated the response, then He sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam called out: ''“O Ibn Salaam! Come out to them."'' He came out and said:'' ‘O Jews! Be afraid of Allaah besides Whom none has the right to be worshipped. You know for certain that he is Apostle of Allaah and that he has brought the true religion!”'' The Jews replied: "You are a liar." On that Allaah's Apostle sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam turned them out. ‘Abdullah ibn Salaam, ''may Allaah be pleased with him, then said: ''“Did I not tell you, Messenger of Allaah, that they are a people of falsehood, betrayal, lying and obscenity?” That was the Prophet’s emigration, who left his home town to call to the religion of Allaah and reform His servants. Fear Allaah! O servants of Allaah and abandon acts of disobedience so that you can all at least achieve one kind of Hijrah. ''(This refers to the abandonment of sins. According to Islaam,''Hijrah is of two kinds: literal, which denotes moving from one place to another in order to be able to practice ones religion, and metaphorical which means the abandonment of sins). Whoever abandons something which he likes for Allaah’s sake, Allaah will reward him with something better. Whoever sticks to piety and goodness, Allaah will be with him. Allaah the Almighty said that which translates as: ''“Indeed, Allaah is with those who fear Him and those who are doers of good.”''' ''(Al-Nahl: 128). Category:Caliphate